Smallville Changes
by funvince
Summary: A Season 1 Finale Alternative. Clark leaves Chloe at the prom to save Lana. We all know what happens next. But here's a different possibility. A divergent fic. ClarkChloe.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Smallville and its characters belong to the WB. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes. In other words, don't sue me!!!  
  
Timeline: Set directly after the season 1 finale. An AU fic.  
  
Funvince Fanfic Enterprises presents:  
  
************************************************************  
  
SMALLVILLE CHANGES  
  
-By Vincent "Funvince" Nguyen  
  
************************************************************  
  
-Chapter 1-  
  
The wind howled around him as he raced through the abandoned roads. What was he doing? He had promised Chloe that he wouldn't leave her to go to Lana and that was exactly what he was doing. There was no rational or logical reason for him to be running more than 200 mph in a tux worth more than his house in the middle of a storm like this, but there was a feeling in the pit of his stomach that something had happened to Lana. Call it paranoia or another activation of his hero complex but he couldn't ignore it.  
  
He prayed that he was wrong. Not every bad thing that happened in Smallville had to be connected to Lana, right? Yeah, it could be happening to Chloe instead, his mind said helpfully. Oh God, Chloe. How was he going to explain this? He felt ashamed at his hoping that something *had* happened to Lana just so he'd have an excuse...  
  
No! He was being stupid. He'd race there, find nothing, then race back with enough time for Chloe to chew him out before the last dance. His heart lurched at the thought of causing further pain to his best friend. She would cover up her bruised feelings by snapping out at him and he would pretend not to see the hurt in her eyes as he always did. And he did see the pain. He might be a little naive when it came to many things but he wasn't stupid. He simply had no idea how to deal with it.  
  
He was almost there. The world around him snapped back into clarity as he slowed down. Lana's truck was stuck in a ditch and she was so frantically dialing numbers on her cell phone that she didn't even see the tornado that was creeping up right behind her.  
  
She spotted him just as the intense winds enveloped her truck. "Clark!"  
  
"Lana!" Shock slowed him down for a second, a second he couldn't spare. Before he could jump into superspeed, the red truck was sucked up into the whirling maelstrom.  
  
His body reacted before his mind could even process the thought and suddenly he was in the middle of one of Nature's fiercest creations. Immense winds buffeted him from every angle and Clark was hard-pressed to keep his footing even with his using all the strength he had. He called out Lana's name feeling helpless. He was strong but the tornado was stronger.  
  
A faint cry drew his attention and he turned his tearing eyes upward and to the right where the voice had came from. He saw a flash of red swirl by and his heart sank. How the hell was he going to get to her? A thought struck him and he almost smacked himself in the head. Ask a stupid question...  
  
He quickly bunched his leg muscles then with all the power he could muster, he leaped. He managed to sail himself almost ten feet into the air before he was spun around like a top and sent spinning all over the place. Obviously, this was not one of his brighter ideas.  
  
He was tossed about to and fro for a few minutes before he spotted another flash of red appear right beside him. He reached out and grabbed onto the front bumper then pulled himself up onto the hood. Straining to hold on, he peered through the windshield and saw Lana sitting in the driver's seat unconscious. There was a newly forming bruise on her forehead. She must have bumped her head on the dashboard.  
  
Getting out was definitely going to be the hard part. Another crazy idea popped into his head and this one made him bite his lip in concern. What choice did he have? His alternatives were waiting for the storm to tear the truck and Lana apart or waiting for the tornado to dissipate and have the vehicle smash into the ground like a meteorite... which was dangerously close to what he was planning anyway.  
  
His friends always told him that he thought too much. He could imagine Chloe rolling her eyes and saying, "For once in your life, make a decision, Clark!" He made it.  
  
Ripping the driver door off by the hinges with one hand and throwing it away, he reached into the car and gently pulled Lana's body into his arms. It was extremely awkward holding onto her and maintaining his grip on the truck but he managed it. He took a deep breath then in one incredibly quick motion, he braced his feet against the side of the truck and pushed with all his might.  
  
Equal but opposite reaction. Mr. Newing had better be right about this! After an eternity, he felt both of them shoot out of the cyclone and there was a timeless moment of weightlessness before gravity took over. Clark quickly shifted position so that Lana was on top of him then he closed his eyes and involuntarily braced for impact.  
  
A column of dirt was displaced when his body slammed into the ground but he barely felt it. His body slid for about thirty feet before he came to a stop. He opened his eyes and sighed with relief. He and Lana appeared to be fine though their clothes had definitely seen better days. Clark stared at Lana's peaceful face and felt residual feelings rise to the surface. He struggled to put those emotions into words. She was beautiful, he couldn't deny that, and he certainly dreamed of being in a position like this many times. So why was he feeling so conflicted? A gasp caused him to refocus his attention and he saw Lana looking at him.  
  
"Clark! How did I get here?" she asked. He really hated to do this but he had broken enough promises for the day. Putting on his most innocent expression, he said, "Don't you remember? Right as the tornado was picking up your truck, you opened the door and jumped out. I never saw anything like it! I think you knocked your head on something when you hit the ground. I thought you might have a concussion and I was trying to get you to wake up."  
  
Lana slowly felt the bump on her forehead and while there was confusion on her face, there wasn't any disbelief. Finally, she said, "I guess in times of crisis, a person can do very amazing things."  
  
You have no idea, Clark thought. And he desperately hoped that Lana was too shook up to ask how he ended up out here.  
  
Author's Notes  
  
I was a little disappointed that we never got to see exactly how Clark got Lana out of that tornado and I thought it would go something like this. I know not much happened in this chapter but the real story should start soon. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Smallville and its characters belong to the WB. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes. In other words, don't sue me!!!  
  
Timeline: Set directly after the season 1 finale. An AU fic.  
  
Funvince Fanfic Enterprises presents:  
  
************************************************************  
  
SMALLVILLE CHANGES  
  
-By Vincent "Funvince" Nguyen  
  
************************************************************  
  
-Chapter 2-  
  
Roger Nixon ran hard and already his lungs were gasping for air and his chest was beginning to spasm. His pursuer, Jonathan Kent, a man who had baled hay for the last few decades and was driven his overwhelming concern for his son, was barely winded.  
  
Jonathan knocked Nixon down in a flying tackle and with a cry of rage, ripped the video camera away from the journalist's arms and smashed it into the ground. He then gripped the lapels of Nixon's jacket and pulled the man's face up to inches away from his own.  
  
"You look here," Jonathan said through gritted teeth, "Clark is my son and I'm not letting a sniveling weasel like you rip this family apart. It almost happened once and I'll be damned if I let it happen again!"  
  
Nixon sneered at him. "What you choose to do with this alien is none of my business but you're a fool if you think I'm just going to forget about the biggest story of the century!"  
  
"Are you going to start sprouting some crap about the people's right to know?" Jonathan asked sarcastically.  
  
Nixon tried to push the elder Kent off him and when he failed he snapped, "No, I'm telling you that I want to be the most famous, richest man in the world. And what exactly, Mr. Kent, do you plan to do to stop me?"  
  
His smug smile faded as he saw the look in Jonathan's eyes. It was the look of a man who had been driven to the edge, of a man at war with himself. It was clear that the resolution of that war would spell out Nixon's future. Minutes, hours, ticked by as Nixon watched Jonathan's eyes, memorized by what he saw.  
  
Jonathan's fingers clenched then with a growl of disgust threw Nixon to the ground. He walked over to the smashed camera, popped out the tape, and stuck it in his jacket. Then he straightened and acting as if the last five minutes hadn't happened, he said in a conversational tone, "Mr. Nixon, you're right. There is nothing I can do to stop you, but you're not going up against only me. You're dealing with the Kents and I suggest you think real hard about what that means."   
  
From the ground, Nixon watched the man turn and walk away. Dredging up a remaining ounce of defiance, he shouted, "This isn't over, Kent!"  
  
Jonathan gave him a bemused look. "I'd be more concerned about finding shelter. Nearest farm is about half a mile from here and it looks like the storm's coming this way." A mirthless smile crossed his face.  
  
"I suggest you get started."  
  
~*~  
  
"Lex! Help me," Lionel Luthor moaned weakly.  
  
Lex tried to clear his head as he watched in fascination at the pieces of debris hanging over his father's body that in one fatal moment could change his life forever. He ignored the pain in his head and the blood dripping past his eyes and simply stared at his father. After a moment, Lionel grew quiet and simply stared back with a look that was half defiance and half plead.  
  
It would be so easy. There wasn't anything to hide or cover up because it really was an accident and it was a shame that he couldn't get to his father in time. This would be the perfect way for him to finally be rid of the man who for years lied to him, harassed him, crushed his dreams, treated him no better than a tool, and worse of all, caused his mother to give up…  
  
He would never have such an opportunity again. So why was he hesitating? He was a Luthor and there were no levels too low that he could not sink. He had learned from the best after all. Blackmail, extortion, bribery, and other technically illegal acts were simply business as usual to him. Getting rid of annoyances and ignoring the fact that they were people with faces and families was one of the first lessons he had learned. This was just the next logical step, wasn't it?  
  
Wasn't it?  
  
Before he knew it, he had crossed the interval between him and the debris in two quick strides and was knelt down by his father's side. Lionel's eyes held surprise and a little bit of relief. He said sincerely, "Thank you, Lex."  
  
"Don't mistake this for a sudden burst of compassion," Lex informed him. "It occurred to me that your death would cause more problems than it would solve. The other Board members would each try to carve out their own piece of the Luthor empire in the aftermath while I was still picking out flowers for your funeral."  
  
Lionel hissed as Lex removed the plaster that had crushed his leg. Lex waited patiently for his father to cover up his momentary lapse before he continued, "Don't worry, dad, you'll get what's coming to you someday but it'll be on my terms and when I'm better prepared."  
  
Lex smirked at the look of outrage on his father's face and he was briefly surprised to see a flicker of pride flash across the old man's face. Lionel breathed deeply then said, "If you're quite finished threatening me, would you mind?" He stared pointedly at the wreckage. "Or are you going to change your mind again?"  
  
"Are you showing fear? Nah, cause that'd be a weakness and Luthors don't show weaknesses," Lex said not trying hard to hide his smile. He got up and started moving the planks that were covering his father then he paused. "There is one thing. In all the confusion, I almost forgot what you came here to talk about. If I recall correctly, we had a short conversation where you agreed to my plan for an employee buyout of the plant. Does that ring any bells?"  
  
"What are you doing, Lex?" Lionel asked dangerously.  
  
"Don't blow a gasket. Any promise made under duress is meaningless. But you owe me." It was a short statement that would have meant nothing to anyone else but to the two men in the room, it was a sure indication that the dynamics of power had just shifted. Lex knew that a debt of any kind would gnaw and prick away at his father if left unresolved. He decided to give one final push.  
  
"So dad, do you remember that conversation?"  
  
The glare he received only made him smile. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Smallville and its characters belong to the WB. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes. In other words, don't sue me!!!  
  
Timeline: Set directly after the season 1 finale. An AU fic.  
  
Funvince Fanfic Enterprises presents:  
  
************************************************************  
  
SMALLVILLE CHANGES  
  
-By Vincent "Funvince" Nguyen  
  
************************************************************  
  
-Chapter 3-  
  
Clark zipped into the school then slowed to a more normal pace as he quickly walked down the halls of Smallville High. It had taken longer that he would have liked to walk Lana to the nearest shelter and leave her in the hands of the medics set up there. To his further discomfort, Lana had asked him how he had gotten to where she was in the middle of nowhere. He had vaguely said something about his truck being destroyed and left Lana to form her own conclusions. It wasn't even technically a lie this time. His father's truck had been destroyed... just not by the tornado.  
  
He knew Lana wanted to question him some more and that she was restraining herself. She had that look on her face, the same look that she and Chloe always got each time he saved them. He knew that they wanted to ask how he always found them or how he managed to save them, but they never did.  
  
They respected his privacy and maybe they even saw it as a way of giving thanks. That made him feel incredibly bad for lying to them and he felt guiltier when Lana pecked him on the cheek and thanked him for being so brave. He should have felt on top of the world with that sign of affection but he was tired and felt like a fraud.  
  
Brave? Clark snorted mentally to himself. How could a man who knew he was, as far as he could tell, invulnerable be considered brave? Didn't that condition require the fear of something precious being lost? Would he be so fearless without his powers and his bullet-proof chest? Sure, there had been that incident with Eric but that had been partly his fault! That wasn't bravery, it was responsibility. If he was so brave, why was he just standing in the hallway outside the gym? Why was his stomach doing flipflops?  
  
Clark knew he was just being down on himself because he really didn't want to face Chloe so he steeled himself and entered the gymnasium. The place was a mess. Decorations was strewn everywhere and he could tell that a lot of people left in a hurry. Probably to the basement to wait out the storm. He was about to turn to go there when he saw a figure sitting in a dark corner of the room. It was Chloe Sullivan.  
  
Clark walked the agonizingly long trek over to that corner, waiting the entire time for Chloe to yell and scream at him. But there was only silence and that unnerved him more than anything else she could have done. He stopped about five feet away from here and timidly said, "Chloe?"  
  
She didn't look too good. She sat with her back against the wall and her knees pressed up against her chest. She had obviously been crying, but Clark couldn't tell for sure because her bangs covered her face. Her voice seemed to come out of nowhere as she spoke. "I knew you'd be back. It's funny, isn't it? I knew that you would come back at some point. I was just making a bet with myself whether or not you'd find Lana first." Her voice was obviously trying to sound cheerful but just as obviously failing.  
  
"Chloe, I didn't mean to-" Clark began before Chloe cut him off.  
  
"Don't, Clark. Just don't. I'm not really in the mood." Chloe stood up and stepped out of the shadows. Her face was streaked with tears and the sparkle in her eyes was gone. Clark felt like he had been hit in the gut. She looked so fragile and it was his fault.  
  
She stared at him then she said, "I just wanted to see you if you were all right. I'll talk to you later."  
  
She moved to brush past him but Clark blocked her path and fumbled for words. There had to be some way to explain this to her. The sparkle in her eyes was gone and it was his fault. He had to make it up somehow.  
  
"Clark, I really don't want to say something that I'll regret later," Chloe said softly. Then her face hardened. There was still some fire in her. "On second thought, I do. Maybe this dance didn't mean anything to you but it sure did to me! I'm moving this summer, Clark. Would it have been so much to ask that you give me one night, one night, where you paid attention to me? Couldn't you have given me that one memory to cherish, something special to remember you by? I just wanted the illusion that someone, not a freak of the week, not a mutant, that someone cared."  
  
Chloe shook her head and breathed deeply before she continued, "You almost succeeded too. This was turning out to be the best night of my life. But you just couldn't get miss perfect Lana Lang out of your head, could you? Damn it, Clark, if you were so worried why couldn't you have taken me with you? That would have at least shown some consideration for my feelings!"  
  
Why was his mouth suddenly so dry? Clark desperately wanted to explain but what was there to say? She was right. He hadn't even talked to her about leaving and he simply did so without any real reason to besides a feeling of concern. He had no excuse. He wanted to beg for Chloe's forgiveness and tell her that he did care and that he never wanted to hurt her. But he did hurt her and nothing he could say would make it up.  
  
Clark watched Chloe walk away quietly. If he needed further proof that the universe hated him, this was it.  
  
~*~  
  
"Mom! Dad!" Clark called as he headed toward the house. He had half- walked, half-sped his way home as his concentration kept being broken by a fresh wave of guilt. He was worried about his parents, but he knew they could take care of themselves. He hoped they would have some advice for him when he got home. No doubt it would be obvious parentalisms that he could have come up with himself but it would still be a comfort to hear.  
  
Clark frowned when he found the house empty. The storm had past out of the vicinity a long time ago. His parents wouldn't still be in the storm cellar, would they? He disappeared in a flash when a sudden worry hit him. He was in the storm cellar in seconds. His parents were fine and they were staring at his floating spaceship. Clark stared too at the machine that was currently swinging its beam of light around as if it was searching for something.  
  
"Clark?" He turned to see his mother who had a concerned look upon her face. "We have a problem," she began.  
  
"No kidding!" Clark interrupted with a nod toward the alien ship.  
  
"It's not that. Well, it is that or at least it's connected to that." Martha stopped frustrated and Jonathon jumped in. "What your mother is trying to say is that our cover's blown. We caught someone snooping around down here with a video camera. If I hadn't gone after him, he would have made off with this." He took the tape out of his coat and showed it to his son.  
  
Half-formed thoughts and worries churned through Clark's mind as he struggled to come to terms with his worst nightmare come true. He asked, "Did you know who it was? Why was he even here? What are we going to do?"  
  
"Calm down, son," Jonathon said holding up his hands as if to ward off Clark's panicked questions. He gave a deep sigh then said, "To answer your first question, it was our old friend Roger Nixon. I can't help but think Lex Luthor has something to do with this though Nixon claims otherwise."  
  
"Dad..." Clark said wearily. This constant Lex bashing was getting old. Even if his father did turn out to be right, and he wasn't saying he was, harping on about it wasn't going to do anything. Jonathon must have seen Clark's expression because his shoulder slumped visibly and he said, "You're right. Now's not the time. Okay, your mother and I discussed this and she being the reasonable one in the family," he gave Martha a sly glance, "she has a plan. Honey?"  
  
Martha patted her husband's arm before she turned to Clark. "Right now Nixon has no proof. He'd be laughed out of town if he tried saying anything. That means he'll be back and he will probably bring others. So we fall back on pretending everything's normal."  
  
"The spaceship might cause a problem," Clark said wryly.  
  
"I was going to suggest we hide it," Martha replied looking helplessly at the alien craft. "But I believe you see the difficulty."  
  
Clark stared at the ship for a moment then he resolutely walked toward it. Before his parents could protest, he said, "I'm going to see if there's a way to turn it off. Stand back." With only a slight hesitation, he stuck his hand into the opening and felt around for anything that felt like a button or a lever. There was a flash and Clark stood frozen, enveloped in the strange light emanating from the ship.  
  
Dimly, as if from a far distance, Clark heard his parents shouting in panic and he tried to respond to reassure them but he couldn't. The world around him had blurred until he saw nothing but a kaleidoscope of color. He felt a presence appear in his mind and gently sift through his mind like a comb. Memories replayed in his mind within seconds. Images of him pushing a bully through a door in first grade while Pete watched agape and of his crashing into the bed whenever he woke up floating. Feelings of his elation when he realized he could run like the wind, and of his astonishment when he looked into the girls' locker room and realized that he could see through things. The presence in his mind seemed pleased by this and Clark wanted to ask why, but the restarting of memories drowned him out.  
  
He relived his first kiss with Chloe the first day she was in Smallville. He remembered a time when he was a child and he was scared and his parents comforted him. He felt the anguish of Lana telling him that Whitney made her feel safe. He played basketball with Pete without powers. He was hit by Lex's car and propelled off a bridge. He saved his mother from a swarm of bees. His father gave him his first telescope on his birthday and told him he was a good kid...  
  
Memories ran through his head in no comprehensible order and Clark was beginning to feel overwhelmed when they stopped. It took him a few seconds to fully realize that he was Clark Kent, age 15, and that he was being, for lack of a better word, probed and that he was not being discovered in a field by strangers or being hit by a bus in Metropolis. Fearful that at any second, the process would start again before Clark could get any answers, he shouted into the void, "What are you?"  
  
There was no reply. Clark had the sensation of being pushed and he resisted at first but relaxed as he felt the presence telling him that everything was all right. It wasn't words so far as he could tell but Clark somehow understood that now was not the time for answers. But that time would come soon. He just had to wait.  
  
The world snapped back into focus and Clark stumbled before he caught his balance. Immediately, he was barraged with questions from his mother and father and he waved them down. He said, "It's okay. I'm fine."  
  
But he wasn't really paying attention to them. He was staring at the spaceship that was now lying dormant on the cellar floor. To the naked eye, it didn't seem to be doing anything, but Clark knew whatever intelligence resided in there was thinking and judging. Whatever conclusions it came to would determine what Clark got to know.  
  
For some reason, he felt incredibly disappointed. He thought he was finally going to find some answers and to get so close only to find he had to wait a little longer was extremely frustrating. This really wasn't his day. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Smallville and its characters belong to the WB. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes. In other words, don't sue me!!!  
  
Timeline: Set directly after the season 1 finale. An AU fic.  
  
Funvince Fanfic Enterprises presents:  
  
************************************************************  
  
SMALLVILLE CHANGES  
  
-By Vincent "Funvince" Nguyen  
  
************************************************************  
  
-Chapter 4-  
  
The bus pulled up alongside the Kent farm. The driver always made it a point to wait an extra five minutes for the Kent boy to show up. It was the least she could do. Sometimes, in these moments of waiting, she would idly wonder how Clark usually made it to school. Probably his father drove him and wouldn't it be amusing to hear the heated conversations that went on in the truck as they tried to beat the bus to school? Clark was a nice boy but he simply had no sense of time. She was completely blown away when Clark showed up at her door just as she was about to pull away.  
  
Clark looked around and his smile faded when he saw Chloe wasn't on the bus. He sat in the seat across from Pete and tried to catch his eye so he could ask him if he knew what was going on, but Pete was carefully trying not to look at him. And he wasn't being subtle about it either. After a few attempts to start a conversation, Clark sat back and sighed.  
  
School wasn't much better. Every ten minutes, Clark would stare at the door hoping Chloe would show up. They had most of the same classes together so she was bound to appear sooner or later, right? But she never did and he was getting worried. How was he supposed to fall to his knees and beg for her forgiveness if she didn't give him a chance?  
  
Around lunchtime, he managed to corner Pete in the Torch's office. "Pete, we have to talk."  
  
"Oh, now we have to talk. Why aren't you hanging out with your buddy Lex? Or shouldn't you be mooning over Lana about now?"  
  
"Why are you acting like this?" Clark asked. He knew that Pete thought that he was abandoning his old friends in favor of his new, but after the Nicodemus incident, he had tried harder to reconnect with him and Chloe.  
  
"Like what? A jerk? I didn't think I was but I guess you would know," Pete replied with a sneer.  
  
Clark found himself growing angry. Why was he being treated like this? He felt that familiar frustration overcome him. Anybody else who had saved Lana like he did last night would have been hailed a hero and treated like a king, but he couldn't even tell anybody about it because of his 'secret.' But he had saved Pete, Chloe, and who knows who else many times so would a little understanding be too much to ask?  
  
A sudden thought dissipated his righteous fury and caused him to deflate. Pete was right. He had been a jerk. All he had was the gut feeling that Lana was in danger and even though he turned out to be right that gave him no excuse for taking one of his best friends for granted. He turned to Pete and said, "I know you're mad at me and I'm really sorry about that and I can't even blame you but can you just tell me if Chloe is okay?"  
  
Pete must have seen the melancholy on Clark's face because he visibly softened. He replied, "I don't know. I haven't talked to Chloe since last night when I tried to cheer her up after you left. I'm just as surprised as you are that she didn't come to school today."  
  
Clark sighed, thanked Pete, and turned to leave when he felt a hand grip his arm. It was Pete and he had a strange look upon his face. He said, "Clark, I understand that you gotta do what you think is right but I don't want to see Chloe get hurt. She's a great girl. Any guy would be lucky to have her."  
  
Clark was about to agree but something in Pete's voice made him pause and suddenly, there was a click in his head. He gave his friend a questioning eyebrow arch. Pete looked embarrassed as he said, "Don't tell Chloe this but I once had a little crush on her."  
  
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Clark asked quietly.  
  
"Besides the fact that she only had eyes for you?" Pete said smirking. He shrugged, obviously trying to downplay this but Clark could tell that an old wound was opening up. "I decided after a few sleepless nights that it wouldn't work out. We'd drive each other crazy and probably ruin our friendship. Chloe and I want different things right now. She's looking for a relationship and you know me. I'm not ready to be tied down yet. So I moved on."  
  
Pete shook his head. "But I still wonder sometimes what could have happened. That's normal, but unlike some guys I know, I don't stay obsessed with girls I know I can't have."  
  
Clark started to protest but then he saw Pete's grinning face and refrained. Pete continued, "Chloe's moving this summer and I'd really hate it if we all broke up because of this, you know?"  
  
A few minutes later, the two friends went their separate ways. Clark frowned as he thought about what Pete said. He now had plenty to think about but he knew the first thing he had to do was find Chloe. He knew that if this event ruined his friendship with her, he would never forgive himself.  
  
~*~  
  
Chloe stared up at the globe that was the symbol most associated with the Daily Planet and smiled. She knew her father would kill her for skipping school and going to Metropolis but at the moment she didn't care. She wanted to get away from Smallville, away from Clark, and away from her pain. She reverently felt the letters printed on the glass doors then chided herself. It was just a building! But she couldn't stop smiling like an idiot. It had been her dream since forever to work here. It was the one place guaranteed to cheer her up. She hadn't felt this bad in a long time.  
  
She went inside and stopped by the receptionist's desk. "Be right with you," the woman said then she looked up. "Chloe?"  
  
"Hi Ann," Chloe said grinning. Ann got up and the two women hugged each other. "What are you doing in the city?"  
  
"Just doing some errands. I thought I'd drop by and thank Mister Taylor personally for giving me the internship. Is he busy?"  
  
"He's in a meeting right now but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you after it," Ann replied. She leaned in and said, "Chloe, I read your article and I was impressed. Not many reporters get to write up their own kidnappings! Maybe in New York but not here. How did you do it? I don't think I'd have the strength to not only relive such a traumatic experience but also to write about it so objectively."  
  
Chloe smiled weakly. "Guess I'm just made of sterner stuff than most people." Before Ann could reply, Chloe quickly said, "If Mister Taylor is busy, then I'll just come back in a few hours. There were a few things I had to take care of anyway." There was the obligatory small talk and goodbyes then Chloe found herself walking down Main Street staring blankly ahead.  
  
Ann's question had struck a chord in her. That article had been the hardest thing she had ever written and even her journalistic determination for the truth was not enough to keep her from being tempted from just forgetting the whole thing. The only thing that made reliving the nightmare as she wrote was remembering the feel of Clark's arms around her after he'd rescued her. She had never been so glad to see someone in her life.  
  
She now knew why being buried alive was such a widespread fear. When she had woken up in her metal coffin and she saw through the transparent cover that she was underground, she panicked. Even knowing that her desperate clawing was only using up her limited supply of oxygen couldn't stop her from trying to escape. She had tried not to cry, she really did, but it finally just came bursting out of her.  
  
A part of her refused to give up hope and strangely, it kept insisting that Clark would save her. It was stupid and illogical. Even if Clark knew she had been kidnapped and not in Metropolis by now, he wouldn't even know where to look for her! But she still clung onto that thought like a lifeline. It was the only thing keeping her sane.  
  
She had a sudden odd empathy for Justin as she remembered him telling her that his last thoughts were of her before the car hit him. She found herself berating herself for every lost chance she had for telling Clark how she felt. Whatever happened to that foolish young girl who thought nothing of kissing the Kent boy only a few hours after she met him? She was still kicking herself over that one. She hadn't wanted this strange farm boy to have a crush on her. Boy, was she stupid.  
  
Chloe wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand and wondered why she was crying so. Clark had saved her again like he always did. She was alive and even if Clark only had eyes for Lana that was something to be grateful for. So why did a part of her feel so betrayed? It wasn't as if Clark was her boyfriend or anything.  
  
"Are you okay, Chloe?" Chloe turned and saw Lana Lang staring at her.  
  
It's official, Chloe thought, the universe so hates me. She had the sudden urge to scream and rage at Lana that she wasn't okay; but, it wasn't Lana's fault and though Chloe couldn't help but feel a little resentful toward the raven haired girl she honestly didn't want to push away one of the few female friends she had. She saw Lana was still looking at her so she said, "I'm okay, just a little bummed. It's nothing."  
  
Chloe then looked at Lana curiously. "So what are you doing here?"  
  
Lana shrugged. "I was doing some shopping with Nell but she took off with some old friends of hers and said she'd be back soon. She wanted me to tag along because she thought I'd be weak from my stay in the hospital but I told her she was just being overprotective."  
  
"Been there," Chloe said. "You were in the hospital?"  
  
"Didn't Clark tell you? The doctors wanted to make sure I didn't have a concussion." Lana explained what happened to her the night before.  
  
Chloe's head was beginning to hurt. Clark had saved Lana? The guy really did have a savior complex. She supposed Clark had good reason to leave the dance but she still felt hurt. She wondered if Clark would have been so eager to run off if he had gone to the dance with Lana and she'd been the one in trouble. Or if he did go to help her would he have taken the time to give Lana an explanation?  
  
But now was not the time to sulk about it. She plastered a smile on her face and said, "I'm glad you're okay. Guess that puts you one up in the D.D. running." It was an inside joke, of course, since Lana and her were the only members and it did help her get over certain freakish horrors but Chloe couldn't help but try to remember who came up with the idea of creating a Damsels in Distress Club. It sounded like something she would say on her more sarcastic days yet only Lana would actually try to make it work. Ironically, keeping track of their kidnappings had brought them closer together.  
  
Chloe didn't know how Lana managed it but somehow moments later both of them were walking through the Metropolis Mall. They hit all the typical spots that teenage girls shopped at and tried on various outfits over the next few hours. Chloe managed to squash the feelings of jealousy that came at seeing Lana's beauty and found to her astonishment that she was having fun. She worried briefly about how much of a bashing her reputation as a no-nonsense, hardbiting reporter would take if word of this day got out but decided it didn't matter. Suddenly, she spotted a piece of clothing hanging in a corner of the store and she started laughing.  
  
Lana wandered over with a puzzled look and Chloe tried to explain through her laughter. "I just pictured what Clark would look like in that for some reason and then..." She lost control and started gasping again. Lana glanced at the tights on the wall more closely then she giggled as well. "I see what you mean. Clark Kent and blue spandex definitely don't go together."  
  
Chloe began to relax a little. She was still horribly upset, but there was no reason to ruin her entire day moping. She thought of Clark again. For one tiny moment, she had forgotten to be angry with him. Maybe... maybe she could forgive him. But she wasn't going to be the one to make the first move. 


End file.
